Nitrogen simply wonderful in G2 Wonder Again

 D. J. Stable's Kentucky homebred Nitrogen made light work of Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Wonder Again for 3-year-old fillies traveling eight furlongs out of the Wilson Chute at Saratoga Race Course as she won her fifth consecutive stakes race and fourth straight graded stakes to remain undefeated in 2025 and become a new millionaire.  

The 12th running of the Wonder Again was originally scheduled for the Mellon Turf course at 1 1/16 miles but heavy rain that inundated the region caused the race to be moved to the sloppy and sealed main track and shortened by one half-furlong. With the switches, the field of eight scratched down to three. 

The changes in surface and distance proved no problem whatsoever for the Hall of Famer Mark Casse-trained Nitrogen, who is the leader of the 3-year-old filly turf division, even though she was racing on a dirt track for the first time.

Sent postward as the 2-5 favorite, she rated behind her stablemate Bessie Abott through the first quarter mile in 24.88 seconds and the half-mile in 47.89. Then when jockey Jose Ortiz gave her the cue while racing through the turn, Nitrogen inhaled Bessie Abott, who was also making an initial foray on the dirt under Dylan Davis. From there Nitrogen romped home all alone down the lane while setting the six-furlong split of 1:11.54 as Ortiz kept her under wraps. Nitrogen crossed the wire in the final time of 1:36.16, a dazzling 17 lengths in front of Bessie Abott. May Day Ready, another making her first main track start, was another 8 1/2 lengths back under Frankie Dettori. 

Casse said he and owner/breeder Len Green and Jon Green debated whether to run their star filly on the off track. 

“We hemmed and hawed and hemmed and hawed and [owner D. J. Stable] kind of pushed me, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s do it.’ When you have owners like [Leonard and Jon Green], you don’t have to worry about getting ran over the coals if you make a move, and that’s everything. And we have a wonderful group of owners that let us do what we do. We know that if it isn’t right, because a lot of times it isn’t right, that we’re going to be OK," Casse said. 

Even so, Casse admitted to a case of the pre-race jitters and even a bit of second guessing. 

“I have been on the phone over 50 times and about 25 were for [Nitrogen]. We were discussing should we scratch, what would we do, how would it set up? We finally said, well, we’re just going to have to [do it]. So let’s give it a try, let’s find out now, so we did it and it worked out. One of the decisions made was we want her in this pattern, and I talk about it all the time. I’ve got her in a pattern, and I didn’t want to lose that," he said. 

“I consumed a lot of ginger today. I don’t usually get too worried about things but when you have a horse like her and she’s established herself as the best 3-year-old turf filly in North America, you don’t want to hurt her [reputation]," Casse continued. "Luckily, we have a great team and we keep lots and lots of records. I went back and watched her work on December 19 [at Palm Meadows] with Dream On and she worked five-eighths on the dirt in a minute and change and galloped out in [1:13] and I’m like, ‘Yeah, maybe we’ll run her,'" Casse added. 

The connections won't have to worry about a race for her being rained off the turf in the future.

“Maybe I should have run her on the dirt a little sooner. She ran a mile in [1:36.16] and probably could have run in [1:34], so she was pretty impressive. I know it was a small field and I know they were turf horses but, still, she was pretty impressive," said Casse. “I won’t have as many ginger lozenges, I can tell you. I was opening myself up for some scrutiny from so many smart people that had things to say. The crazy thing is, I told Jon Green this morning [that] she is better today than I’ve ever seen her in her life. That was another thing that made them say, ‘Let’s run.’”

With the victory, Ortiz won for the third time in the 12 runnings of the Wonder Again. His previous wins came aboard Cambier Parc in 2019 and Sweet Melania in 2020. He said that he never received instructions from Casse.

"She broke good. I sat right behind my stablemate and I was ready to go. I mean, I was on the best horse, no question about it," said Ortiz. "I tapped her on the shoulder just to keep her attention. Usually when she makes the lead, she kind of switches leads and hangs around. Today, she didn't, so I caught her attention, made sure she was there, and she was traveling great every step of the way." 

Nitrogen paid $2.80 for a $2 win bet. There was no place, show, exacta, trifecta, or superfecta wagering on the race due to the scratches of Al Jafara, Virgin Colada, Opulent Restraint, Love You Anyway, and Laurelin. 

Nitrogen is a daughter of Medaglia d' Oro out of the Uncle Mo mare Tiffany Case. With the winner's share of the $300,000 purse, she increased her bankroll to $1,146,604 via an 8-5-1-2 and it is unblemished in her sophomore campaign with the quintet of straight wins. 

The Wonder Again was featured on Saturday's stacked card headlined by the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. Other Grade 1 action included the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile; and the Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun. The card included the Grade 3 True North and the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge. 

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga Race Course for Closing Day of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The 13-race card features a rescheduled pair of Grade 1 turf events in the 5 1/2-furlong $500,000 Jaipur [Race 12] – a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint; and the $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan [Race 13], which has been moved from the Mellon turf to the inner turf course and shortened from 1 3/16-miles to nine furlongs. Also featured are the Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly in Race 7 and the $150,000 Jersey Girl in Race 9. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern. Admission gates will open to the public at 11 a.m.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule. 

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and the best way to bet every race of the five-day meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.